For episode 47 of the National Health Executive podcast, we were joined by Sue Holden, the CEO at the Advancing Quality Alliance — otherwise known as Aqua.

Sue spoke about her leadership philosophy, where that mindset comes from and the epiphanies she’s had while working in the NHS.

She said: “We can focus on the ‘what’ and forget the ‘how’ is where the magic happens, so — from my point of view — I’ve had the privilege to work with a lot of organisations in various different guises.

“Certainly when I was working with trusts that were really challenged, not one of those organisations didn’t have magic in it, didn’t have a brilliant service, didn’t have a team that was going above and beyond, and didn’t have people that were doing exciting things.”

There were also small pockets that needed support and the mark of a good leader is fostering an environment that enables the people who are struggling to access the help they need, explained Sue.

Sue also highlighted the four times in her career she has had an epiphany or “things that have really sat me back on my heels and made me rethink my own perspective” as she puts it.

“The first one was when I was a student nurse — that was back in the 80s...”

Listen to the full podcast to hear Sue’s insights and the pivotal moments in her career.